South London-based Dhir may have done something that comedians in the years gone by have never done — cracked the enigma code to get passing punters into your Edinburgh show. The setup is simple. Put an animal on your flyer, and, this is the clever bit, get the flyer to mention that the dog (called Rocket) will be on stage with you. Genius, and it’s worked. The Hoots venue is rammed.

Now all he has to do is give an hour’s worth of material to keep a fevered Fringe audience and dog happy. The good news is he does it all and goes above and beyond the call of duty.

From going through dog names and how animals can break tension with white people, he’s off to a strong start. His Indian heritage plays well, with references to the fact that, traditionally, people of his ethnicity didn’t have pets. Name confusion at Starbucks is a tired comedy trope, but he makes it fresh, and the audience loves it. The truth about Indian living rooms all hits too.

From his background in corporate law to more entrepreneurial skills, scattered nerd and sci-fi references appeal to the few fans in the audience, but that’s just so the rest of the audience can catch up.

But the final third is what sets him above his Fringe peers. The hatred of dating apps sets it up and then cleverly moves back to a section on dogs, and how to preserve the bloodline will make you wince and laugh with joy at the same time.

The show is really about love for family, pets and all in between. And Dhir’s show has real passion for both, and it glows through in the top-notch, well-constructed writing.

Make no mistake, this is a great show. Dhir himself is delightfully charming. Add to that, relying on quick wits and a DIY marketing strategy that slays the competition.

Another hidden gem at the Fringe; we are going to be hearing a lot more from Dhir (and Rocket) in the future.

4 stars ****

Reviewed by Steve H.

Slice 1 at Hoots @ Hilton (Bread Street)

Until 31st August

14:00 – 14:45